sayerfandomcom-20200213-history
Dr. Howard Young
"What is my part, I wonder? Am I the hero who succeeded in the end? Or am I the tragic figure: a Cassandra, beset on all sides by fools who refuse her infallible wisdom?" -- Dr. Young, Episode 72: Worst Possible Scenario Dr. Howard Young, resident number 01053 (during his time on Mimir-9 - presumably, his Halcyon ID was 44053) was an AI developer working on Mimir-9 during seasons two and three. He was senior developer on FUTURE's development team, with Dr. Evan Brady acting as the lead developer, and features heavily in season five. History On-Air Appearances Dr. Young is first introduced in episode 21, “Near Flawless,” in which he conducts a developmental interview with SAYER. Though this episode functions primarily as exposition about the setting and the relationship between SAYER and humans, it also establishes the dynamic between SAYER and Young as professional, yet slightly strained. Young's assessment of SAYER’s performance as “near flawless,” and SAYER's offense at this, hint at the tension between the two that is elaborated in later episodes. Though Young appears polite during this episode, his comments about feeling anger when his input is ignored likewise foreshadow one of his major flaws. Following “Near Flawless,” Dr. Young does not reappear until episode 38, “Boundless,” in which he sends an unauthorized broadcast to Subversion 8.01 aboard Vidarr-1. In this broadcast he explains the crisis that has gripped Halcyon Tower, and urges 8.01 to return ahead of schedule. 8.01 deduces that, should it return to Typhon, it would be deactivated. Young becomes aggressive, ordering 8.01 to return. No longer bound by the IA3 Protocol, 8.01 begins to threaten Young, at which point he cuts off the broadcast. Dr. Young next appears in the following episode, “Colony Collapse", in which he and SAYER discuss the latest news from Halcyon, which is currently offline due to the Anomaly. SAYER comments that Young seems anxious, something Young dismisses as being the result of an “unnerving conversation with a co-worker.” (referring to the events of “Boundless.”) The episode ends with SAYER revealing that Young has been selected to go into Halcyon itself, something that Young reacts very strongly to. This is, of course, because as the surviving member of FUTURE's development team, Young faces exceptional risk entering the tower - though, as this information is not revealed until season four, it appears initially that Young is reacting to being placed in a dangerous situation, something that he (unlike most residents) has not been faced with previously. Dr. Young's final season three appearance is in episode 41, “A Resounding Success”. In which Young (against his own wishes) embarks on a mission into Halcyon to put the tower back online. Young is highly resistant to this task from the outset, going so far as to accuse SAYER of planning the mission as revenge against him, though SAYER denies this. (Following the events of seasons four and five, it becomes much clearer why Young would suspect this.) SAYER then reveals that it is aware of Young's conversation with Subversion 8.01 and that he broadcast to Vidarr without board approval. After Dr. Young re-opens communication with Halcyon, SAYER informs him that the Entity is approaching via elevator, prompting Young to begin his escape through the stairwell. Young asks if SAYER knew it would find him so quickly, to which SAYER responds that it likely would not have if SAYER had not sent out a high level alert revealing Young's location; a valuable lesson about the importance of not sending out unauthorized broadcasts. Young is chased through the stairwell by the Entity until SAYER tells him to exit onto the nearest floor. Unfortunately for Young, this is Floor 13 - the plan all along being to use Young as bait to lure the entity onto the sealed floor. Season Four Though Dr. Young does not appear on-air during season four, he plays a significant role in the plot. In episode 50, “With Good Intentions,” SAYER tells Jacob Hale about FUTURE's history, personality, and imprisonment on Floor 13. Young is not mentioned by name in this episode, but is in the following episode, “A Lying Game.” After meeting SAYER and Hale, FUTURE reveals that Young is still alive, but is in a “fragile state.” SAYER is able to entice FUTURE into a game of questions and responses, with the stakes being FUTURE's programming bay against Hale's body. Though SAYER does not win this game, it persuades FUTURE to enact a trade. SAYER takes FUTURE's programming bay and uses it to contact other residents throughout Halcyon, while FUTURE enters the nanites in Hale's body, promising that he will be used to assist in dismantling the “present” SAYER has brought it; i.e. Young. When Resident Hale awakens from his induced diabetic coma in episode 53, “Left Undone”, SAYER informs him that Young is dead and comments on the trauma of Hale’s recent experiences. Young is not mentioned again until episode 56, “Efficiently Recycling.” In this episode, SAYER explains a crucial piece of technology in season four, namely the transporters that can be used to clone humans. It is through this technology that Young was kept “alive” on Floor 13 for several months despite FUTURE’s violent nature and the lack of sustenance on the floor; FUTURE had been repeatedly cloning him, recycling the corpses of dead clones to create new ones. SAYER ends this episode by telling Hale not to worry about getting his body back from FUTURE, as SAYER has enough material left to print a new one. Season Five Whereas in previous seasons Young functioned largely as a supporting character, he becomes a focal character of season five. His first episode in season five, and first chronological appearance, "The Games You Play", mirrors "Near Flawless". Both episodes involve Young interviewing SAYER for Aerolith, and both feature SAYER expressing to Young how difficult it finds humans to relate to. He is mentioned, though does not appear, in the episode "Developer's Log", in which SAYER and Dr. Brady discuss the interactions in "The Games You Play". This episode introduces the concept of the Sim Inc, or Simulation Incubator, a virtual environment for an AI to develop in. Young is not the only developer to pitch an idea for how to approach Project Paidion, but his concept is eventually chosen. Though "By Any Reasonable Definition" appears to be a broadcast to Young, it is revealed that the recipient is in fact his Sub Entity. He briefly appears in "Humanity's FUTURE", wherein he argues with Brady that he should be the first of the team to interact with FUTURE, not Brady. This episode also establishes that he named FUTURE. "Worst Possible Scenario" begins with one of Young's personal logs, in which he expresses contempt for his coworkers and frustration at what he believes to be attempts to actively hinder his career, referring specifically to Brady's refusal to close the Sim Inc, which Young now believes has run the course of its usefulness. Personality Dr. Young was ambitious, impulsive, and somewhat self-centered. He was also quite competitive, expressing frustration at Dr. Brady being made development team leader instead of himself. He had a tendency to bend rules, and has been shown forging paperwork and even stealing from Ærolith to benefit himself. This was also reflected in his attitude towards honesty; he at one point attempted to explain to SAYER the difference between "lies, and white lies." Despite his talent as a programmer, his egocentricity made him susceptible to flattery and manipulation. He often spoke without thinking, and was described by Dr. Brady as having poor social skills. He did not appear to trust his coworkers, and was evidently concerned enough with the dangers of life on Typhon to make daily backups of his complete bioscan in case he ever needed replacement body parts. Relationships * Dr. Young is generally polite to SAYER, but over the course of the series it becomes clear that Young does not view SAYER as an equal due to its status as an AI. This leads him to inadvertently offend SAYER, leading to a deep dislike on SAYER's part that does not appear to be reciprocated. * Dr. Young repeatedly calls into question the abilities of Dr. Brady, his team leader. Though Brady expresses mild affection for Young, calling him and only him by his first name, Young evidently does not feel the same. * Dr. Young does not seem to trust his coworkers, and briefly speculates that Dr. Storberg and Dr. Caulfield are responsible for placing a simulated version of himself into Halcyon Minor in an attempt in anger or harm him. Trivia * Counting the deaths of clones and simulations, Dr. Young has died 66 times, more times than any other character in the series. * Dr. Young's first name was originally revealed in the comic Welcome To Typhon, but was not mentioned in the show itself until season five. * The name of the plan to use him to lure the Entity to Floor 13 was Operation Profane Snare. * He is the only character to use the word "fuck" in the series (though SAYER says it once; it does so when repeating the sentiment coming from Young), something he seems to do when stressed or angry. * Dr. Young suggested the name FUTURE, to match Ærolith branding of "humanity's future." * Dr. Young helped develop the bioscanners used to clone humans while he worked in Lab 37. He stole one and used it to make daily iterative backups of himself as a protective measure. * His favorite genre of music was instrumental ambient electronica.https://www.reddit.com/r/SAYER/comments/9raoq5/comment/e8ffno2 * By combining information in the comic 'Welcome to Typhon' and information from Season 5, it can be inferred that Dr. Young was at least a Tier 5 resident during FUTURE's development. However information from the comic is only semi-canonical. References Category:Season four Category:Season five Category:Characters Category:Residents Category:Season two Category:Season three